December 20, 2004

UN, Vietnam to Establish Task-force Against Bird Flu

The Vietnamese government and United Nations health agencies are planning to set up a task-force to coordinate efforts against bird flu.

The task force includes the World Health Organization, the Food and Agriculture Organisation and Vietnam's ministries of health and agriculture.

The group, whose formal organisation will be decided in January, will be composed of technicians from the two UN bodies and the two ministries.

They will focus on an immediate response in case of any further outbreak and long term surveillance.

Health experts say avian influenza has entrenched itself in much of Asia and is unlikely to disappear in the short term.

Twelve people died in Thailand in the past year and 20 in Vietnam.